Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

I've noticed my black coppers have tighter feathering whereas the blue coppers and blues have looser feathering. I don't know why. I have run some of my black and blue copper lines together and the resulting offspring blues still have looser feathering than the black coppers. The black copper feathers are way softer than the fluffy blues when you pet them. Maybe it has to do with the smoothness or amt of oil on the feathers- how tight they are? The male blue coppers have tighter feathering than the females also.

X2! as small as my flock is, that's what I am seeing also. Actually, I prefer the looser feathering as for looks. What does the SOP call for?? Have not read it in awhile...

 

[Debbi]

How old does a cockerel have to be to actually be able to do the deed properly? My blue guy is 5 months old and I had to take him out of the pen he was growing up in because he and his buddy (ameraucana) were stalking and grabbing the two pullets in there and those girls were NOT into it. Those girls are obviously not ready to be grabbed and jumped on, they kept screaming and freaking out. lol

Anyway, now the two 5 month old boys are in their own pen. The blue marans, Igor, is so funny. Always jabbering and picking things up and putting them down. Today I gave them some left over roast beef all chopped up. I thought he would gobble that up so fast but he kept picking up little pieces and making all kinds of little noises then putting the morsel down then repeating this over and over. Not sure if he ever took a bite himself. lol
Now this marans tho he was my first ever hatched and we love him to bits, his comb has a big thumbprint I think. He has waaay too many feathers on his toes and he is not really a solid blue but a blue copper that is mostly blue. Anyway, he will not be a part of my marans breeding plan. But I am not going to get rid of him cuz he is "special".

Could I put him in with my Easter egger hens and actually get fertile eggs? I have put so much energy, time and money into buying fertile eggs and chicks that the idea of having eggs conceived in my own back yard is almost foreign to me. lol!

So to make a short story reaaalllly long. Is 5 months old enough to fertilize eggs?

Christie, Sounds like he is being a good boy, and that sound is to call in the gir;s to get the treats! That's what a good roo does!

 

[Debbi]

Good and bad day here today. Went to town, 9 miles. Got a few things, started home. Got one mile from the house, and the battery light and the water temp gauge are going whacko! High water temp, so throw on the heat and fan on high, turn off the lights as the battery light is also on! Crap!! Park it on the road to my house, about 7/10ths from home. Radiator is boiling! Battery dead. First thought is alternator, or belt(s). So, was figuring on a mile walk back to the house, and leave the truck where it would posibley a target for some drunken hooligans tonight, seeing as it's a Friday night. Long story short, neighbors came to the rescue, and hauled my truck to their house, and will look at it in the morning. Thank God for good neighbors!!

Let's hope it's just the belts,alternator, or something less, trying to stay positive here. Not a good time for old Tessy Toyota to crap out on me!!! In thirteen years, all I've had to replace were tires, 5 sets of brakes (Mail route running), tires, and TWO batteries! At 177,000 miles, I hope I can expect more from her!! Let's hope for a good diagnosis here!!

 

[stephanie1992]

Hello Marans Experts
The two black chicks in this pic are Marans/Amerecana x SLW
My question is what would u call the coloring??
Is it the start of Cuckoo. Silver Cuckoo or just a mix of whatever?? lol
I believe the one in fronts a male and the one perched in backs a female

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I hate to be dense, but if I had a blue or splash roo over a BC marans hen, what would that produce? I am down to just a couple blue marans and BC hens.

I assume it would work like this:

Blue X Black = 50% Blue, 50% Black
Black X Splash = 100% Blue

 

[gilavina]

Good and bad day here today. Went to town, 9 miles. Got a few things, started home. Got one mile from the house, and the battery light and the water temp gauge are going whacko! High water temp, so throw on the heat and fan on high, turn off the lights as the battery light is also on! Crap!! Park it on the road to my house, about 7/10ths from home. Radiator is boiling! Battery dead. First thought is alternator, or belt(s). So, was figuring on a mile walk back to the house, and leave the truck where it would posibley a target for some drunken hooligans tonight, seeing as it's a Friday night. Long story short, neighbors came to the rescue, and hauled my truck to their house, and will look at it in the morning. Thank God for good neighbors!!

Let's hope it's just the belts,alternator, or something less, trying to stay positive here. Not a good time for old Tessy Toyota to crap out on me!!! In thirteen years, all I've had to replace were tires, 5 sets of brakes (Mail route running), tires, and TWO batteries! At 177,000 miles, I hope I can expect more from her!! Let's hope for a good diagnosis here!!

I'm really glad you have good neighbors to help you out like that! It seems those kind of people are slowly disappearing. I really hope that the problem with your truck is a simple enough fix!

 

[pinkchick]

Hello Marans Experts
The two black chicks in this pic are Marans/Amerecana x SLW
My question is what would u call the coloring??
Is it the start of Cuckoo. Silver Cuckoo or just a mix of whatever?? lol
I believe the one in fronts a male and the one perched in backs a female

Hi! They are just a mix of whatever is in them...the coloration coming in on the chest that you are seeing I believe to be from the SLW blood in them and is caused by the lacing (partridge gene) that the SLW carries. Others will come by and give their opinions as well. They are cute! Wonder what color egg they are going to lay?

 

[Debbi]

I'm really glad you have good neighbors to help you out like that! It seems those kind of people are slowly disappearing. I really hope that the problem with your truck is a simple enough fix!

Amen to that! I have to look on the bright side, it could've happened a lot farther from home or on the highway! This is a tiny community here, and we pretty much stay to ourselves, but when you need help, the neighbors all turn up.

Saw the neighbor this morning while I was feeding the chooks, and he was getting up a round bale from below my house. He said he pushed it into his garage last night and put it on the trickle charger. He was going to go see what he could see when he got back from feeding. My Son, the Army mechanic, swears to me it's one of three belts causing the problem, which it very well could be. I had one squealing for a long time, so it might've come loose and got caught in between the other two? Guess we'll see later on today..

 

[pinkchick]

How old does a cockerel have to be to actually be able to do the deed properly? My blue guy is 5 months old and I had to take him out of the pen he was growing up in because he and his buddy (ameraucana) were stalking and grabbing the two pullets in there and those girls were NOT into it. Those girls are obviously not ready to be grabbed and jumped on, they kept screaming and freaking out. lol

Anyway, now the two 5 month old boys are in their own pen. The blue marans, Igor, is so funny. Always jabbering and picking things up and putting them down. Today I gave them some left over roast beef all chopped up. I thought he would gobble that up so fast but he kept picking up little pieces and making all kinds of little noises then putting the morsel down then repeating this over and over. Not sure if he ever took a bite himself. lol
Now this marans tho he was my first ever hatched and we love him to bits, his comb has a big thumbprint I think. He has waaay too many feathers on his toes and he is not really a solid blue but a blue copper that is mostly blue. Anyway, he will not be a part of my marans breeding plan. But I am not going to get rid of him cuz he is "special".

Could I put him in with my Easter egger hens and actually get fertile eggs? I have put so much energy, time and money into buying fertile eggs and chicks that the idea of having eggs conceived in my own back yard is almost foreign to me. lol!

So to make a short story reaaalllly long. Is 5 months old enough to fertilize eggs?

Guaranteed at this age that one of them is definitely doing his job. I have had young cockerels start loving up to the girls as young as 16 weeks of age. At first they just don't know how to sweet talk the girls and not be rough..but they will learn in no time, but, sometimes there are a few cockerels that just never learn how to be nice with the girls and I will pull these cockerels out and not use them for a while or perhaps at all...except for filling enchiladas.

 

[pinkchick]

Amen to that! I have to look on the bright side, it could've happened a lot farther from home or on the highway! This is a tiny community here, and we pretty much stay to ourselves, but when you need help, the neighbors all turn up.

Saw the neighbor this morning while I was feeding the chooks, and he was getting up a round bale from below my house. He said he pushed it into his garage last night and put it on the trickle charger. He was going to go see what he could see when he got back from feeding. My Son, the Army mechanic, swears to me it's one of three belts causing the problem, which it very well could be. I had one squealing for a long time, so it might've come loose and got caught in between the other two? Guess we'll see later on today..

Hope it is an easy fix Debbi. Our work van decided last week that it needed a new serpentine belt...got that fixed and then this past Thursday morning the coil went kaput! Special!